{"id":7069,"date":"2025-07-16T08:06:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T06:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.seecommerce.it\/?p=7069"},"modified":"2025-07-16T11:44:33","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T09:44:33","slug":"accessibility-act-ecommerce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.seecommerce.it\/en\/blog\/accessibility-act-ecommerce\/","title":{"rendered":"Accessibility Act 2025, e-commerce: what changes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_fullwidth_image src=”https:\/\/www.seecommerce.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Group-351.jpg” admin_label=”Immagine a Larghezza Intera” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#8300e9″ custom_margin=”-62px|-177px||-180px||” custom_padding=”||0px|1px||” mix_blend_mode=”multiply” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_image][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”||9px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#ffffff” custom_margin=”-181px|auto||auto||” custom_margin_tablet=”-150px|auto||auto|false|false” custom_margin_phone=”-110px||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”|1px||0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_post_title author=”off” categories=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.22.0″ title_font=”Roboto|700|||||||” title_text_color=”#001b2a” title_font_size=”40px” title_line_height=”1.1em” meta_font=”Roboto|300|||||||” meta_font_size=”17px” background_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0)” custom_padding=”|150px||150px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”|10px||10px|false|false” custom_padding_phone=”|10px||10px|false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” title_font_size_tablet=”” title_font_size_phone=”30px” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_post_title][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”-28px|auto||auto||” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”|0px|1px|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”15px||3px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”-35px|auto|16px|auto||” custom_padding=”|148px|0px|150px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”|0px||0px|false|false” custom_padding_phone=”|0px||0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.seecommerce.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/header_european_accessibility_act_blog_eng.png” alt=”header_european_accessibility_act_blog_eng” title_text=”header_european_accessibility_act_blog_eng” _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.0″ text_font=”Roboto|300|||||||” text_text_color=”#01131a” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” min_height=”182px” custom_margin=”||21px|||” custom_padding=”|0px|3px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

European Accessibility Act, the timetable speaks for itself: as of June 28, 2025, IT products and services will have to comply with various accessibility requirements.<\/p>\n

In addition to a regulatory requirement, the European directive is also a business opportunity. In this article we take stock of the situation. <\/p>\n

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European Accessibility Act (EAA): what is the EU accessibility directive<\/b><\/h2>\n

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The EAA – an acronym that stands for European Accessibility Act – is the European Directive 2019\/882 that introduces, at the EU level, rules related to digital accessibility for most private companies.<\/p>\n

\n

A widely-accepted definition of\u00a0 Accessibility refers to the \u201cextent to which products, systems, (…) can be used by people from a population with the widest range of characteristics and capabilities to achieve a specified goal in a specified context of use.”<\/em> (ISO 9241)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Unlike EU Directive 2016\/2102, which regulated the accessibility of public administration websites and apps, the EAA addresses digital products and services offered by the private world<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Accessibility Act, in fact, covers hardware and software such as self-service terminals for payments, home banking, e-books and electronic commerce (e-commerce<\/strong>) services.<\/p>\n

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…but wasn’t there already an accessibility law?<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Yes, at least in Italy. Now let’s have some order.<\/p>\n

The first to land in the national legal system was Law 4\/2004 (known as the Stanca Law<\/em>), which made accessibility of digital services an obligation for various entities.<\/p>\n

In addition to public bodies, in 2020 the text was supplemented with a Decree Law that also included private companies with an average three-year turnover of more than 500 million euros.<\/p>\n

The law-whose non-compliance results in a fine of up to 5 percent of turnover-was<\/strong> consolidated in the legal framework with the implementation of Legislative Decree 106\/2018, which transposed the aforementioned EU Directive 2016\/2102, standardizing accessibility obligations for PAs at the EU level.<\/p>\n

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The European directive on the Accessibility Act and the Legislative Decree 82\/2022 that implemented it from July 2022, close the circle of legal entities obligated to digital accessibility.<\/p>\n

By June 2025<\/strong> all companies<\/strong> will have to comply with specific accessibility requirements; obligations that will cover not only services, but for the first time also digital products<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Penalties for non-compliance with the European Directive on Digital Accessibility are regulated by individual EU countries; in Italy, they can reach up to \u20ac40,000, which is in addition to the aforementioned penalty of 5% of turnover<\/strong> for non-compliance with the Stanca Law<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Why digital accessibility legislation? Between inclusiveness and opportunity <\/b><\/h2>\n

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First and foremost, the reason why of the legislation can be traced back to unquestionable requirements of social progress: ensuring that each person has adequate enjoyment of products and services<\/strong> improves the lives of everyone.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

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According to WHO<\/a>, in fact, more than one in four<\/strong> (135 million) people with disabilities in Europe<\/strong> and, of these, 65 percent say they are held back from purchasing by barriers of various kinds (Forbes<\/a>).<\/p>\n

In addition to a necessary issue of inclusiveness, it is therefore evident how the Accessibility Act, especially for e-commerce<\/strong>, also brings with it undoubted market opportunities<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

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EAA 2025: EU accessibility directive explained easy<\/b><\/h2>\n

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<\/blockquote>\n

Understanding that companies selling products and services via e-commerce will also have to comply with the dictates of the Accessibility Act, let us now focus on what those rules are.<\/p>\n

In a nutshell, organizations will be required to meet compliance levels A and AA<\/strong> of WACG 2.1, guidelines developed by the WWW<\/a> consortium containing a set of recommendations, with varying levels of intensity, in order to ensure accessible Web experiences.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/blockquote>\n

There are four key principles on which the accessibility rules are based.<\/p>\n

Perceivability<\/strong> dictates content that can be perceived by people with sensory disabilities; operability<\/strong> protects the effectiveness of web interactions without the use of a mouse.<\/p>\n

Simple language and clear layout are the result of the third principle, that of understandability<\/strong>; finally, robustness<\/strong> implies that digital products and services are compatible with assistive tools used by users with disabilities.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

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Accessibility Act 2025: what impacts for e-commerce?<\/b><\/h2>\n

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<\/blockquote>\n

The very long list of provisions by content type can be found on the website containing <\/span>the <\/span>WCAG 2.1<\/a>. In the following, we have identified a few of interventions<\/strong> to consider, broken down by type of content<\/strong> typically found on e-commerce pages.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

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Product Information and Accessibility Act<\/b><\/h3>\n

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<\/blockquote>\n

Accessible text descriptions<\/strong>, including alternatives to multimedia content (such as image alt-texts) should be concise<\/strong>. If more detail is needed, a link to another section, either within or outside the web page, should be provided to the user. <\/p>\n

On the subject of textual content, it should also be noted that it will be mandatory to keep a record of the optimization work<\/strong> carried out to the various assets, which will be consulted during any audits by the relevant authorities.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

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Audio Files and Accessibility Act<\/b><\/h3>\n

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<\/blockquote>\n

Each audio file must be accompanied by alternative text and subtitles<\/strong>, with the exception of audio alternatives to text content. Users must also be able to have full control over the volume<\/strong> and playback<\/strong> of the content.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

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Images and Accessibility Act<\/b><\/h3>\n

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<\/blockquote>\n

For images, the most relevant provisions indicate the need for an alternative text<\/strong>\u00a0and that media fruition<\/strong> does not depend on screen orientation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

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Video and Accessibility Act<\/b><\/h3>\n

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<\/blockquote>\n

Aspects to pay more attention to with video content include: alt-text<\/strong>, subtitles<\/strong> and an audio description<\/strong> of the clip, as well as volume<\/strong> and playback<\/strong> control as with audio files.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

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Which companies are exempt from the European Accessibility Act?<\/b><\/h2>\n

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<\/blockquote>\n

There are a few exceptions to the European accessibility law, including:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • micro-businesses<\/strong>: fewer than 10 employees and annual turnover of less than \u20ac2 million<\/li>\n
  • supply contracts signed before 28 June 2025<\/strong>, such as those with suppliers of CMS, plugins, software or hardware solutions (such as POS or terminals); in this case, if the hardware\/software solution is already in use before the EAA, it can continue to be used until 28 June 2030<\/strong>, provided that it is not modified.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    <\/span><\/p>\n

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    What are the benefits of the European Accessibility Act?
    <\/b><\/h2>\n

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    Complying with accessibility rules is not only necessary to shield oneself from financial penalties nor is it to be considered a mere trappings of inclusiveness.<\/p>\n

    At stake is the improvement of the living conditions of a sizeable segment of the population, as well as significant benefits for businesses.<\/p>\n

    First and foremost, because of a mathematical issue: the more accessible the e-commerce, the broader the user base and thus the greater the volume of conversions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Google<\/strong>, moreover, rewards web pages with images with alt-text as well as dry and well-organized text (H1, H2…); on the other hand, pages that are not very accessible raise the bounce rate, penalizing organic positioning (SEO).<\/p>\n

    Accessibility efforts will also enhance the user experience and generally reinforce a positive brand image<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/span><\/p>\n

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    Articles like this one. Via e-mail. Once a month. <\/b><\/h2>\n

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    If you have read this far, you have probably found this article helpful. We appreciate it. <\/p>\n

    Sign up for our newsletter-you will receive it spam-free once a month.
    All you have to do is enter your name and business e-mail address. Easy, right? <\/p>\n

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